The Disavowed

As always, should you or any member of your IM Force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

Brought to you by people who have been through the doors of some of the finest employers in the industry--and one outlier.

Jobs are funny things. We as a society tend to define ourselves by our occupations: at a party, the first questions are, "What's your name?", and "What do you do?" Yet, if you stopped people on the street and asked them, "Do you like your job?", most answers would be varieties of "No."

People get into sick family relationships with their jobs. People enable bad behavior, they tolerate abuse, they get stuck in unhealthy cycles. They accept being treated by the job in a fashion they just wouldn't take from their families or friends.

People work hard to make payments on a house they seldom see because of the hours they put in. They work harder because to afford the house on the salary they get, they have to live far away from work, so they need a car to get from the house they never see to the job they have to have to pay for the car and the house. And they come home, eventually, too drained to interact with their loved ones, too tired to make love with their spouses, with so little of their souls left in them that they spend the nights and weekends recovering from the work week.

Half-lives, half-lived.

With all that, for most people there are still few experiences more unsettling than losing a job, changing a job, or looking for a job.

We are "the Disavowed". We know the soul-extraction that a bad workplace can cause. We know how it can be to leave even the worst of jobs. We know about loyalty and guilt and finances and fear and excitement and the rest of the roller-coaster job ride.

We lived through it. And, like veterans of other battles, we want to support one another. Use our resources freely, and please contribute as you see fit by e-mailing disavowed@scn.org.

Useful Information

• The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries investigates common employer abuses such as harassment, violation of overtime compensation laws, and discrimination.
• The King County Bar Association offers free referrals to employment attorneys.
• Bad Managers: True-Life Horror Stories of Software Development Cowboys
• information on Bipolar Mood Disorder (a.k.a. manic depression): nothing on its effects on one's company, but much of the support information for families works for employees--or "colleagues"--as well
• The Brand Called You: an interesting look at how we're in an age where we all need to think of ourselves as brands and consider that when marketing ourselves.
• The Cluetrain: the end of business as usual
• FACE Intel: Web site for Current and Former Employees of Intel
• Guru.com: resources for independent professionals
• Salary Zone: how much should your employer really be paying you?
• Twisted Humor is a common companion to twisted work places. Check these archives.
• The Washington State Lottery is really just a tax on people who are bad at math, but it's still a ray of hope for many people.
• Karma Yoga: Zen for the Discontented Worker How do we find serenity in the workplace?

Potential Disavowed Slogans

1. If you do a good job and work hard, you may get a job with a better company someday.
2. The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off due to budget cuts.
3. Sure, you may not like working here, but we pay your rent.
4. Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings-- they did it by killing all those who opposed them.
5. A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat.
6. If at first you don't succeed--try management.
7. Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.
8. Never quit until you have another job.
9. Hang in there: Retirement is only 30 years away!
10. Go the extra mile--It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.
11. Pride, commitment, teamwork--words we use to get you to work for free.
12. Work: It isn't just for sleeping anymore.
13. There are two kinds of people in life: people who like their jobs, and people who don't work here anymore.

Did we forget anything? E-mail us at disavowed@scn.org.